A TRUCK route or highway bypass will be absent from plans for Colac’s future, despite community concerns about trucks travelling through the city’s centre.
Highway bypass left out of plans for Colac
Colac and district will have to wait at least another month for a decision on Colac’s bypass route.
2 Responses to “Highway bypass left out of plans for Colac”
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Colac Otway Shire has the responsibility for the good governance and future planning of our city and Shire. Clearly the shire does not have the resources to plan or build for a bypass, but it does have the capacity to identify the issues and to provide feed back to Vicroads and the Government. The council has the capacity to advocate and lobby for the best outcomes for its rate payers. The Shire has actively advocated for a dual highway, which was a success, and more train services and other State Government issues, which are still a work in progress. The Colac CBD, will not function and prosper into the future without a creative approach to how the traffic can be managed in the future. More can be done, and the council with its head in the sand is of no use to anyone!!
This article raises the question: If the Council has no authority to plan for a bypass then why did the Council waste time and money on proposals relating to this very issue?
The fact is that what must be one of the slowest road builds in history the duplication from Geelong to Winchelsea is still not completed and people are forced to slow down and drive through Winchelsea because it was not bypassed, yet Bacchus Marsh, Werribee and even Geelong were.
The truth is that the Councils are an arm of the State government, a State government Organosation and as such will do as the State government wishes as Local government is not recognised as a third tier of government and if the Councillors step out of line they will be replaced by administration.
The Colac Otway Shire Council have obviously wasted time and money on their bypass efforts in the past and should have been informed about Vic Roads having Authority over them.
Meanwhile we know our Council threw a Public Library in to a School which the overwhelming majority of rate payers did not want but now see their rate money given to the Colac Secondary College to pay half of all ongoing costs of the building, insurance, maintenance, power costs etc whilst the Council bought the most expensive Council car park in the region paying $900,000 for the old Home Hardware building.
There are well meaning Councillors but the truth is they have little power and are used as a patsy for the State government to accept blame when unpopular State government policies and projects are pushed on them and they must accept responsibility for the outcome, and as previously stated if they jack up and all vote no administration can be brought in to get the job done.
Almost all the rate money from Colac Otway Shire residents is spent on wages, there is almost nothing left for projects but the Council always seem to find money for themselves throwing the public Library in to a School in order to use the old Library as their planning Dept, purchasing the old Home Hardware building for their own use for instance.
At least we now know who is really in charge of the roads, Vic Roads not the Council.